1,233 Egyptian Christians departed from Cairo on Friday, heading to Jerusalem for the upcoming Easter celebrations, an anonymous airport source said, quoted by MENA new agency.
Thousands of Christians worldwide choose to travel to Jerusalem to witness Easter festivities at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, remembering the resurrection of Christ. According to the Gospels, Jesus was crucified on Friday after Passover, and then rose from the dead on the morning of what is now celebrated as Easter Sunday. While the Catholic Church celebrates Easter Sunday this weekend, Orthodox Christians will hold the celebrations the following weekend, according to the Julian calendar.
Most pilgrims also visit other Christian holy sites, situated in Israel and the West Bank, such as Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity and the Jordan River Baptism site. However, according to the instructions of the Coptic Orthodox Church, most travellers will not perform any religious rituals at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, as a special hall is being prepared in the Church of the Nativity, according to Safwat Wasfi, a supervisor at one of the tour companies organizing the pilgrimages, quoted by Anadolu Agency.
The pilgrimage rites defy the official position on the Coptic Orthodox Church, which last week reiterated that it is firmly against celebrating Easter in Jerusalem, given that "the city remains under Israeli occupation," and due to the necessity of obtaining Israeli visas prior to the visit, which the Coptic Church considers as a form of "normalization" with the state of Israel. However, both the Evangelical and the Catholic church of Egypt have not objected to the pilgrimage, deeming it to be an issue of "personal choice."
In related news, as worshipers gathered to celebrate Easter Sunday, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, urged Christians to "stand firm in the face of tragedy," as he spoke of the war-torn Middle East, where thousands of Christians have been obliged to flee from their homes in fear of the Islamic State extremist group.
"Let us bury in the tomb of Christ our worldly inclinations, our contradictions, our religious divisions, our hostilities, our lack of faith and our fears ... From this tomb emanated light and peace. And here today, from this battered Holy Land, light and peace must spring out again," the Patriarch said, as quoted by the AFP news agency. "Our future in this region and in the world is uncertain and even incomprehensible, but do not be afraid: Christ assured us that he is'with us always, until the end of time," he added.
